Before the invention of the plane, travel by sea was very important, and it still remains important after its invention. Sea travel provides quicker and cheaper travel than via land and it also allows travel over seas and oceans. The Mediterranean Sea was and is still one of the most important trade routes throughout all time. Its control is vital to international trade in peacetime and military transportation in wartime.
Before the mid-nineteenth century, all ships were wooden. But with the invention of the ironclad, the USS Monitor in 1862, the idea of completely metal ships came into being. Wooden ships would be used for a while longer, but metal ships would begin to increase with the turn of the century. In 1906, the United Kingdom revolutionized the ironclad into a early battleship called the HMS Dreadnought, which would again change naval power completely. It would become its own class of warship for a while until it would become obsolete itself. With the launching of the HMS Dreadnought, the naval race for supremacy of the seas that would last nine years would begin between the European powers and lead to World War One that would stretch over all of Europe and much of the world.
The HMS Dreadnought was a 17, 900 ton ship that was 526 feet in length. It had ten 12 inch guns, eighteen 4 inch guns and five torpedo tubes. At its thickest point, its belt armor could reach eleven inches thick. Its top speed was 21.6 knots.
After the launching of the HMS Dreadnought, Germany sought to keep up with Britain and both tried to outdo the other. By 1910, Great Britain had 11 Dreadnoughts and 5 Dreadnought battle cruisers, in comparison to the German 8 Dreadnought and 2 Dreadnought battle cruisers. By the beginning of World War One in 1914, Great Britain had a total of 29 Dreadnoughts and 9 Dreadnought battle cruisers to the 17 German Dreadnoughts and 7 Dreadnought battle cruisers. Britain had desired to have double the amount of warships of the two greatest powers, but by the outbreak of war, they had about a ratio of twelve to ten. Among the other European powers, France had ten Dreadnoughts, Russia had four and Austria-Hungary had three.
During the war, the navies would not play too large of a part in the outcome, due to the fact that no nation desired to risk the loss of a significant portion of their navy. The British held a blockade of Germany in an effort to restrain their traveling. There were a multiple small skirmishes fought around Europe in the North Sea and Mediterranean. One of the most famous being the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea. Its outcome is still debated and it did not change much in the war except make both sides even more conservative with their navies.
Recommended Readings:
Edwards, Giles. "How the Dreadnought sparked the 20th Century's first arms race." June 2, 2014. BBC, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27641717.
Wilde, Robert. "The Anglo-German Naval Race." 2015. About Education, http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/a/The-Anglo-German-Naval-Race.htm.
Hickman, Kennedy. "World War I: HMS Dreadnought." 2015. About Education, http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/civilwar/p/cwturningpts.htm.
Unikoski, Ari. "The War in the Air - Naval Warfare." August 22, 2009. http://www.firstworldwar.com/airwar/navalwarfare.htm.
